Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz requires time and multiple infusions so today’s post will be just that…my own personal findings from multiple infusions with Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz.
Infusion 1: The hot water hasn’t fully separated the mini tuo cha and that’s okay because I will focus on multiple infusions with this Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz. My first infusion made the water a light brown. The aroma was a warm woodsy sniff with very faint malty notes. The first sip of the first infusion was nice. It was fairly pale but comforting. It offered delicious warming flavors that were almost cinnamon-like. I needed to further explore this square tuo cha!
Infusion 2: The color of Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz during the 2nd infusion was a dark brown. The nose wasn’t too intense but still pleasant. I could pick up a hint of crust in the aroma this time around. The taste was pretty smooth with a semi-sweet yet malty taste. I enjoyed the 2nd infusion more than the 1st because it was more defined. As an after thought and after taste there was a sprinkle of citrus that I could taste, too!
Infusion 3: I know I could go on and on with additional infusions but I think I am going to end this session with the 3rd infusion because I am very satisfied with the color and aroma. And because there are so many teas and so little time! By the 3rd infusion the mini square has fully separated. The infusion color is very dark brown – almost coffee-like. The aroma is very earthy but not wormy and not overly wet-wood like some pu-erh tend to be. More of a warming, dry-wood, with citrus underneath maybe even a touch of cinnamon powder. NOT cinnamon per say but a powdery likeness instead. The taste is earthy but in a malty way. It’s REALLY smooth, too, but in a malty-way! It’s NOT bitter at all and I really LOVE that. Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz ends with some sort of citrus note but I can’t quite put my finger (or tongue) on it. It’s not really the peel flavor – or as strong as orange zest – maybe it’s more of a citrusy-pith flavor instead. Regardless – I’m a fan!
I really suggest taking your time with Mini Yunnan Tuocha Tea – Red Label – from Teasenz and enjoy multiple infusions. If you don’t care for the 1st – move on to the 2nd. If you still aren’t sure – try a 3rd – and so on! There are so many opportunities here and I am thankful I was able to try at least 3 of them!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Description
If you are new to pu erh tea and have yet to discover the different types of aromas it offers, then this mini tuocha tea mix is the right place to start. Reap the weight loss benefits of this pu erh while enjoying the diverse mix of flavors that ensure you will never get bored.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz #VeganMoFo2016
Vegan MoFo is pimping Monochrome Meals today which means we will be seeing a lot of food that is all based around ONE color so for our Vegan MoFo Tea choice today we are pushing Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz.
This Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz is part of the Teasenz Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix. If you purchase the 70 gram TIN for $10.89 you will receive 12 or 13 mini tuo cha. I think this is a pretty fair price for 12 or 13 mini’s of which you get to try 4 of their pu-erhs!
We are specifically reviewing the Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz in this review. The scent of this one once wet and infused is an earthy, woodsy, wormy type. It infuses to a dark brown. I was pleasantly surprised that the taste on the tongue was mellower than I thought it would be based on the scent of the infusion. It was really quite nice. Sure it had woodsy notes but they weren’t over the top or anything I winced at. Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz was even a bit smooth, too! I’m not saying this Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz was dull or lacking in flavor at all! It’s just more smooth than I thought it would be based on the scent! I’m very excited about this offering!
Because Mini Yunnan Tuocha Mix – Brown Wrapper – from Teasenz is a solid brown color DRY and WET I figured it would make a nice connection to the Vegan MoFo Monochrome theme of the day, today!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Description:
Pu erh tea is an important part of the Yunnan culture. For a beginning pu erh tea explorer there is definitely a long way to go in order to fully appreciate the complexity of this type of tea. Sip and feel its richness in taste that evolves after each steep and imagine the history that is within this tea. Order today and have some of those high quality leaves that made it to our Teasenz website right in your teapot. Each and every piece is source directly from Yunnan and you will love it. Read our guide below as a roadmap for your puerh journey!
- Brown: Start off with the flat tuocha wrapped in brown paper to experience the classic taste of pu erh tea. Note: Don’t underestimate those small tuocha teas. One piece can easily steep you several pots of tea. Instead of moving too fast from one color to the other, first strive to get as many steeps from each piece! Try to notice differences in flavor between the different steeps.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea
2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea is a sheng pu-erh that brews up to be a lovely shade of glowing gold-light brown color. Right away I could smell the outdoorsy aroma – more specifically cotton and hay.
As for the flavor 2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea has a sweeter-earthy flavor with the aftertaste of subtle almond. I have found that I like the flavor best after the piping hot pu-erh has had about 10 minutes to cool at room temperature. The flavors of the 2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea really stand out after about 10 minutes or so.
2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea is a VERY pleasant pu-erh. The more I sip it the more I really like it and the more I seem to crave more. Another thing I should mention is that 2014 Bingdao Laozhai Huangpian from Wymm Tea is pretty thirst-quenching! This isn’t a strong -fueled pu-erh but of the more delicate flavor type. I can see this one pleasing the masses! It certainly did, me!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu-eh
Where to Buy: Wymm Tea
Description:
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
2013 Xiaguan “Holy Flame” Baoyan Raw Puerh from Crimson Lotus Tea
Hello Tea Friends,
Today I will be reviewing an interesting and somewhat traditional Tibetan tea called Holy Flame. This tea is intended to be used as the base for Tibetan Yak Butter Tea (Po Cha) which is consumed daily in Tibet. I have tried some instant mixes for Yak Butter Tea in the past and honestly found them disgusting, though saying that I am not a buttermilk fan in general. I found it to be far too salty and sickly that I couldn’t drink it. Perhaps having it fresh would make a difference but I may never find out. Either way when I saw Holy Flame for sale and the intention for the tea I was immediately interested to try it. I may not have liked Yak Butter Tea but I may like the Sheng base. I also like the idea of drinking something that is common in Tibet and actually what they would drink themselves. Though I have never visited, Tibet has always been a wondrous place in my mind
Opening the packet (which has awesome wrapper art by the way) I can note the Chinese characters for Xiaguan which is a district in China as well as being a town near the Southern end of Yunnan. Primarily speaking this region is very well known for their tea production and have some wonderful teas to boast. The brick is rather dark in colour with a hue of brown, dark brown and dark green colours. I can also note some stems/sticks are present and the leaves are a mixture of sizes as though they were loosely chopped before processing. It smells musty and wooden though subtle with a hint of smoke.
The tea has some steeping instructions on the website.
Use 5-10 grams of leaves and brew with 75-150ml ( 2.5-5oz ) of water at or near boiling. Rinse once for a few seconds. Start with quick steeps under 10s. With each re-steep adjust the steep time to your taste.
My steeping parameters: 100ml gaiwan, 7g leaf, boiling water. I will also rinse the leaf as suggested.
First Steep – 7 seconds
The tea soup is light brown in colour and bares a dry earth and smoke scent.
The flavour is mild in comparison to it’s pungent aroma. There is a smoky taste with some astringency in the after taste that leads to some dryness. Further bowls show an increase of depth and it becomes stronger though not by much.
Second Steep – 7 seconds
The astringency is stronger and now bares a wooden must that somewhat matches the scent. It’s certainly strong and powerful considering such short steeps. The smoke still lingers in the aftertaste.
Third Steep – 10 seconds
This is a more balanced steep in terms of astringency and smoke, either that or my pallet is used to it. However, the dryness has increased in the aftertaste and leaves my tongue almost dry.
Fourth Steep – 15 seconds
The first sip comes across as astringent but it quickly softens into a smoky melody that envelopes my tongue and dances on the taste buds. Also the dryness is still present though not much of an issue.
Fifth Steep – 20 seconds
Even on this steep it’s strong with ever pressing smoke and astringency. Also some sweetness coming through in the after taste.
Sixth Steep – 25 seconds
This is starting to relax in strength but it’s still at a nice level. Smoke and wood with astringency still hang in the aftertaste.
Seventh Steep – 30 seconds
It’s certainly starting to calm down but still has each flavour present.
Eighth Steep – 40 seconds
And the flame burns out. There is little left in this steep apart from subtle smoke, a distance memory of a once lively Holy Flame that burnt bright.
Conclusion: This Sheng packs a pleasant punch with a lot of mouth feel that makes you wonder what each steep will bring. Like the flame of a candle; it burnt brighter and intensified until it inevitably burnt itself out to leave a smoky finish. Alright that is enough fire talk, I will extinguish any more fire based puns before I get on someone’s wick.
On a more serious note, it promised to be a strong tea and it delivered. Not only that but considering I used average leaf weight for minimum steep time it produced eight successful steeps. While this may be cheap and intended to be used as a base tea I like it as it is. It’s very suited for an everyday tea and I know I will end up taking this to work to drink so I can close my eyes with each sip and pretend I’m in Tibet.
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Raw/Sheng Puer
Where to Buy: Crimson Lotus Tea
Description:
This tea is a literal staple of the Tibetan diet. Xiaguan is the largest supplier of tea to the people of Tibet. This brick is cheap and affordable and a great source of energy. It is primarily used to make Tibetan Yak Butter Tea. It is consumed daily with barley powder. These bricks are called “Baoyan” (宝焰) which means “Holy Flame”.
We found these bricks without wrappers being stored in Tibet while traveling there this Spring. We bought what we could and created our own wrappers. This isn’t a fancy tea. It is however unique and cheap. It is meant as a daily drinker for people living in the highlands of the Himalayas. This is a very strong tea. It will be smoky with hay and alfalfa notes. It brews smooth but with bitterness and astringency. It pairs perfectly with yak butter.
These bricks were Tibetan stored since early 2013. The Chinese characters stamped into the face of the brick say Xiaguan (下关).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Moonlight Beauty Raw Pu-erh Loose Tea From Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Raw Pu-Erh Loose Leaf
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
The moonlight beauty tea is developed by the local Yunnan tea makers based on the continuous summarization and deepened understanding of the new trend of pu-erh flavor. It is a new breed of pu-erh tea. Made of the tender buds of large-leaf tea and processed with the method similar to that of Fuding White Tea. Moonlight beauty tea has a rich bouquet and clear yellow soup broth. As for as taste is concerned, this tea has a smooth, pliable, sweet and fresh mouthfeel without any bitter note.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Thank you Angel from Teavivre for sending me this sample to try.
I love the name of this tea, Moonlight Beauty sounds so pure and happy. The website says that though this tea is a raw Pu-Erh it is also similar to a white tea due to the processing of the leaves. You can see the similarity when you inspect the leaves.
In appearance the leaves are long and fairly thin with lots of downy hairs. They are a very pale green, almost white colour and they bare a soft, fresh scent of grass and pepper. Enough to smell like a Pu-Erh but living up to it’s subtle nature. The leaves are also crisp to the touch and could easily be broken into small pieces with fingers.
I will be using 5g of leaf in a 220ml teapot with boiling water.
First Steep – 1 minute
After the first steep the leaves now smell malty and wooden, a real contrast to their dry form. The tea also shares hints of wood and malt, with pepper and sweet pine. The liquid is very light yellow.
In flavour this is more subtle than it smells. The first thing I notice is the smoothness of a fresh pine and sweet peony notes. The after taste is dry and slightly nutty. It actually reminds me of a Bai Mu Dan white tea in flavour.
Second Steep – 2 minutes
More peony and slightly sweeter than the previous steep, though just as mild. More drying in the after taste too. It tastes like spring rain drops that have landed onto flower petals, that imagery is in my mind every time I sip.
Third Steep – 3 minutes
Slightly sour during this steep but with a creamy finish and just as much peony. It has to be said that the dryness is somewhat spoiling it’s subtle elegance.
Overall – I am not a fan of white tea usually and that is exactly what this tea reminds me of. It’s not very Pu-Erh like except for the peppery, wood notes in the leaves once you start to infuse it. That being said it was still a pleasant and non offensive tea. I don’t think I could drink it all the time though, it’s just too mild for my personal taste. I imagine it’s great to keep hydrated with on hot summer days though. I also imagine that the mild nature of this tea would make it rather forgiving should you over steep it. Essentially it remained very similar throughout all three steeps.
Thank you again Angel for the opportunity to try this tea.
Until next time, Happy Steeping Everyone!